Related Stories

OTTAWA - Nothing is more important than the mental health of police officers, according to the country's top cops and political brass.

In fact, the issue topped the agenda at a joint meeting of law enforcement groups Thursday.

"These remarkable men and women put their lives at risk as part of their everyday jobs and, clearly, their employers believe their mental health is important," said Ivan Court, president of the Canadian Association of Police Boards (CAPB).

"Our message to police services is that we must increase our state of awareness and readiness when dealing with these critical issues.

"It's happening in many other sectors across Canada, so it only makes sense to be moving in that direction, particularly in a profession like policing with its unique challenges and stresses."

According to recent statistics, the rate of post traumatic stress disorder among cops is reportedly twice the national average.

The police board association, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and the Canadian Police Association, which represents frontline officers, all agreed Thursday that more education and training is required to tackle mental health issues among the rank-and-file.

At Thursday's meeting, senior members of the three associations met with the RCMP's mental health advisor to discuss how the Mounties deal with mental health issues.

Dubbed "COPS" - Care, Outreach, Prevention, Support - the RCMP's guidelines encourage police leaders to clearly state a commitment to mental health, to mandate a "duty to care" among all senior officers, and to adopt a policy of zero tolerance towards stigmatization.

The guidelines also encourage police service employees and their families to learn as much as they can about mental health and the early warning signs of potential distress.

"Police, like all breadwinners, face the risks of emotional distress, mental injury or disorders and it's vital that our own people know that they're not alone," said Carol Allison-Burra, also with CAPB. "Like other employers, we have an obligation to do whatever we can to make sure that workplace policies, practices and relationships that are unique to our own work - that are unique to policing - are supportive for our members and their families during difficult times."

Charles Momy, who heads the country's police association, said the group's annual general meeting in May will be heavily focused on the mental health of police officers.

"We need to do more. This is something that the Canadian Police Association has discussed for probably a couple of years," Momy said. "At the end of the day, what we want to do is save our members' lives.

"We want to save those who are contemplating (suicide) or suffering from a mental illness."